Tuesday, April 13, 2010

woe is not me

i just sent out a very snarky reminder to the mothers of my cub scouts that went a little something like this...
***
*reminder for tomorrow, wednesday april 14th*
kids come home from school and mom nags to do homework 3pm
peel a video game controller out of their hands 3:05pm
feed kids a snack because heaven forbid they starve 3:30pm
wolf and bear den meeting 4-5 my house!
webelos den meeting 5-6 my house
dinner for family sometime, somewhere, somehow.
relief society birthday dinner 6pm at the church
hip hop dance class 7pm
kids hungry again, toss 'em a piece of bread
baths? maybe next week.
put kids to bed 8pm
assess the damage to the house and kitchen, cry a little.
put kids to bed again 9pm, and 9:15, and 9:30 and...
have a stiff drink(dietpepsi) and half a pan of brownies 10pm
think of all the things you forgot to do,
eat other half pan of brownies...
eventually pass out on the couch.
***
i hope they know i was kidding,
sort of.
my sarcasm stems from several places...
*
the place on my hands and knees where i've been cleaning up spilled milk, permanent marker, bright red lipstick, desitin, toothpaste, chocolate, and who knows what else put there by the devils apprentice (aka, the leprechaun, aka, tade) he has been on one serious tour of terror lately.  i'm sure it has something to do with charlie, but i give him tons of attention, and have never had such a "busy into trouble" child like this before... more on this later.
*
also on the docket, every day since "the incident" (a boy got sick on the bus) i have had to convince my kindergartener that it's okay to go to school... he's been traumatized and thinks about it constantly.  not a day goes by that he doesn't talk about "the incident".  i'm trying to act cool and brush it off, but i also want him to know that i care and love him and that his feelings are valid...  i just really want him to get his mind off it and back into life.  i don't know if talking about it feeds his fear or resolves his issues.  it's kind of like that story where you walk into a doctors office and read all the pamphlets on the table about diseases and start wondering if you have them yourself, even when you didn't know they existed just a few minutes before you sat down. oh well, this too shall pass.  
*
then there's the blooming tweenager in all her glory.  to add to her list of woes, including no cell phone, and no life (according to her), papa bear accidentally broke her finger with a broom.  i think he feels as bad as she does... but amongst the tears a little part of her feels cool to have a broken finger (you know that part that feels cool to get braces and glasses).  we let the puppy out in the front yard and it started to dart for the busy road, so chris got a broom to do some tough love and then addy reached for milo's collar just as chris went to strike the dog (which for the record, does not jive with me) at least she doesn't have to go to piano lessons today right? there's always a silver lining.
*
and then there's me.  little 'ol me with my messy house, to do lists, lack of training for the 10k i'm supposed to run in two weeks... and the things going on in our life that i can't share on a public blog.  one day at a time right?  the funny thing is, even if our list of woes stretched to the moon and back again, there will always be someone who has it easier or harder than we do... and as i sat down to share my thoughts i found the following pictures on my desktop.  they are from my aunts husband corey who is a doctor and went to volunteer in haiti.  he is amazing and has a huge heart, to drop everything with his crazy busy life and go down and help those in need, despite danger or the unknown.  these images immediately humbled me and i've stopped complaining... i just wish i could retract my snarky message to the cub scout mothers.


15 comments:

Jill said...

have i told you before how great I think you are?

because I do.

oh, and i just came up with the most wonderful idea. let's put presley and tade in a locked room and watch the damage that ensues. it would be more powerful than any tornado, i'm imagining.....

hang in there. you da best...

Sunshine Promises said...

Oh, how I love you Sara. You are such an amazing woman. I - for one - would have LOVED to receive that cub scout reminder. Would have wet my pants laughing (which - unfortunately - doesn't take much post baby #4). You are so freakin' funny.

Second of all, I wish I lived closer so we could have a friend to friend chattsipoo. The kind you can only have in person. Even with a private blog, there are many things that are not appropriate to post about that affect you deeply. Here's hoping that you and I - in our individual heartaches - can find meaning in it all and become the women the Lord would have us be.

I think you're nearly there.

Love ya, girlie.

Judy said...

I am still smiling!!!!! this is so cute and so life. You are amazing, all you do, with that adorble little family!!!!! So glad I get to peek in to your life....I still think we need to do lunch sometime....since we are neighbors and all!

Nancy said...

Thank you for this post. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for making me remember I'm too blessed to whine. Thank you my amazing friend.

SMDStudio said...

I have felt the exact same way over the past four weeks as crazy nightmare after crazy nightmare has happened in our family. I just keep thinking: at least we have a home, at least we are all alive, at least we still all love each other tons. You took the words right out of my mouth - right down to the "this, too, shall pass". I think we're soul sisters - but then, you already knew that. ;> Love you, lady!

berta said...

You call that snarky? I call it brilliant, insightful and frightfully honest! Go Sara! Go Sara! Way to shake up IF West. Also, clean houses and well-adjusted/healthy/injury-free/non-tornado kids are extremely overrated. I love you.

Heather said...

You truly amaze. As I read your post I was laughing out loud. The cub invite was brilliant. I'm sure the parents all thought it was funny or they simply don't have an ounce of a sense of humor.

What really impressed me though were the other comments posted by your friends. They have already all expressed exactly how I feel about you. You have a special way of making everyone that knows you feel like they are your best friend!

I miss you like crazy all the time. I am thankful that you write such a fabulous blog so that I can get a little Sara fix when I need one!

love you-Heather

Claire said...

You have a Tade? I have an Esther. You have a messy house? I bet mine's worse. I'm not kidding. I spent two days sorting out wardrobes. Now i'm living in the aftermath of that smart idea.

But, for now, i'm going to drink the other litre of Pepsi, take my bra off and let the ladies run free, put my feet up and close the doors on all the messy rooms.

MaƱana, baby.

katie and co. said...

tenderness and reaffirmation. That's what I felt with this post. You did it again to me. Love you. Will call soon.

lisa said...

That was hilarious. I think you are amazing. I feel like that too sometimes. I definetely think you got me beat. I love the repeated bedtimes. That is so my kids. After 5-10 times though I am not very nice. I just tell them I am not a good mom after 8pm. That is my time and not theirs. Take care!

Mary Denton Taylor said...

I am kicking myself in the tushy right now. I can't believe I've let myself go for so long without reading your blog. I miss you chicka. I think I've said this before - Can I be you when I grow up?

onesilentwinter said...

oh dear sara it sounded lik you already ran a 10k of sorts!

Heidi said...

Love the sarkiness. Mine comes from some inner source. I have been trying to stuff it down pretty much my whole life. Are you doing the reunion this year?

Sunshine Promises said...

You okay, girl? I am worried about you. Is everything okay in your world?

Jennifer said...

Hey Sasha,

So, I have had some of the same feelings with my blog. Hopefully someday I will be back to posting. :) I love the note to the the cub mothers! Miss you..